Hanoi served 3.73 million visitors in the first two months of this year, earning 13.2 trillion VND (over 556 million USD), up 2.8 times and 3.6 times year-on-year, respectively, the municipal Department of Tourism has reported.  

The total number included 535,000 foreign holidaymakers and 3.2 million domestic visitors, the department said.

According to the department, tourism activities in the city have showed positive signs as the number of tourists visiting the capital city has been increasing in the first months of the year.

To attract more tourists, the city has focused on promoting cooperation to develop the market.

The department has enhanced connections with key tourism localities nationwide in order to build suitable programmes. It has also planned to welcome delegations of foreign travel businesses and reporters for exploring tourism products in Hanoi.

Attention has been also paid to developing more night tourism products and experiential tours on the basis of exploiting the traditional culture values of the capital city; and strengthening promotion of tourism destinations and new products of the capital on domestic television channels, on US-based news channel CNN, digital platforms, and social networks.

PM urges eliminating administrative bottlenecks for HCMC

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has recently asked the relevant agencies to cut red tape and establish a breakthrough mechanism for the city’s development.

He suggested local authorities lay the groundwork to fulfill the potential of HCMC and bolster its role as the country’s economic engine.

He highlighted the need of making the regulatory framework relevant to the city’s socioeconomic situation and aligned with the national development outlook.

Local officials and appropriate agencies have sought to improve the city’s management capability and tackle the current pressing issues, particularly in terms of investment promotion, urban administration, and technology and innovation.

Previously, delegates at the fourth session of the 15th National Assembly passed Resolution No. 76, which seeks to continue work on the piloting procedures and policies tailored to HCMC’s development, as issued by Resolution No. 54 in 2017.

SMS campaign launched to support people in border areas

The Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society and the National Humanitarian Portal 1400 are holding an SMS campaign to support poor people in border areas.

The campaign, running from February 23 to April 23, aims to call on people across the country to donate funds to support the construction or repairing houses and create livelihoods for the poor and disadvantaged people in border and island areas across the country, and help them escape poverty.

According to the National Humanitarian Portal, poor people in the border areas mainly rely on farming and children have few chances to go to school, therefore, the opportunity to rebuild their houses is the aspiration of the people there.

Thanks to a donation worth 20,000 VND (0.84 USD) from each message, poor households in remote and border areas can build solid houses, opening opportunities for them to change their lives as well as enable their children to study and dream of a better life.

More than 1 billion VND (42,320 USD) was raised for poor people through a similar text message campaign carried out from April 24 to June 22, 2021.

HCMC Chairman affirms having preferential policies for foreign businesses

Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Phan Van Mai disclosed that the city has preferential policies to create favorable conditions for foreign enterprises in general and Dutch enterprises in particular.

The Chairman made the statement at a meeting between the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the Dutch Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City with the participation of Chairman of the city People's Committee Phan Van Mai, leaders of departments and agencies, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Vietnam Kees Van Barr, Consul General of the Netherlands to Ho Chi Minh City Daniel Stork and business people, investors of the Dutch Business Association in the city.

At the meeting, Mr. Mai said that from now to 2025, Ho Chi Minh City will continue announcing fields that the city planned to call for investment and preferential policies to facilitate the investment and operation of foreign enterprises in general and Dutch enterprises in particular.

Procedures for visas and work permits will be shortened while the process to facilitate Dutch enterprises' operations will be further streamlined.

Responding to comments from business people and residents, the city's leaders are determined to improve traffic infrastructure, renovate canals, arrange canal houses, replace old apartments, and build one million new apartments to improve the living and working environment.

On his part, Ambassador Kees Van Baar expressed his gratitude to the leaders of Ho Chi Minh City for supporting Dutch business people to do business in the southern largest city. He added that the Netherlands and Vietnam have common ground in low-lying terrain, prone to flooding, so the two countries should have a long-term strategy to develop sustainably and create favorable working conditions for Dutch businesses.

Vietnam-France trade has potential for further growth: Minister

Ample room remains for trade between Vietnam and France to grow, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien told French Minister for Foreign Trade, Attractiveness and French Nationals Abroad Olivier Becht during a working session in Hanoi on February 28.

The session focused on ways to boost bilateral economic, trade and investment ties in the context that the two countries are celebrating the 10th anniversary of strategic partnership and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

Minister Dien said the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) will be significant to further enhance Vietnam-France economic, trade and investment links.

In order to further improve the efficiency of EVFTA, Vietnam wished to receive France’s technical support in the process, he said, suggesting that the two sides' technical units continue working closely together to address any issues arising during the implementation, seriously fulfill commitments made in the EVFTA, and ensure its highest possible effectiveness and results.

According to him, the economies of Vietnam and France are complementary. Vietnam is strong in agriculture, aquaculture, textile and garment, leather and footwear, wooden furniture, electronic components and consumer goods, along with a big market with nearly 100 million people, rising income and purchasing power.

Meanwhile, France has many world-renowned products and brands in the fields of mechanical engineering, aerospace, machinery, automobiles, railways, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods that Vietnam has high demand for. Therefore, both sides need to help their businesses grasp market information, hold trade promotion activities, and establish effective trade connections for business communities, he said.

The host suggested France further assist Vietnam in supporting industry, manufacturing, mechanical engineering, new materials, metallurgy and chemicals.

In his opinion, French firms could cooperate with Vietnamese partners in renewable energy, eco-friendly energy, effective and economical use of energy, and smart grid technology.

Becht, for his part, spoke highly of Vietnam’s efforts in energy transition over the past years. He promised that France will continue partnering with Vietnam to help the country overcome challenges in the process, toward achieving net zero emission by 2050.

Both sides shared the belief that Vietnam and France will continue to be reliable partners that support each other, contributing to deepening their strategic partnership and collaboration within other multilateral cooperation frameworks.

Partnership meeting discusses sustainable community development

The 22nd Annual Partnership Meeting kicked off in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu on February 28, focusing discussions on solutions to give young people’s fair access to digital economy, green carbon and sustainable community development.

The event has been co-organised by the ActionAid International in Vietnam, the Aid for social protection program Foundation Vietnam (AFV) and the provincial Union of Friendship Organisations from February 28 to March 2 with various activities.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phan Thanh Duy said the province has identified five pillars of socio-economic development, including hi-tech agriculture, industry with a focus on renewable energy, wind, solar and gas power; tourism, trade, services, education, hi-tech health care, marine-based economy linked to national-defence and security. It will also uphold values of local traditional culture.

President of the provincial Union of Friendship Organisations Le Hoang Minh said Bac Lieu is one of the provinces that boast potential of wind and solar energy, shrimp farming, salt production and aquaculture. Over the past years, natural disasters and saltwater intrusion have severely affected livelihoods of many households.

Lauding the ActionAid International and AFV for supporting Bac Lieu over the past decade, he hoped that the meeting will introduce the province’s potential of cooperation with domestic and foreign non-governmental organisations in carrying out short and mid-term projects in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture development in the Mekong Delta.

Over the past decade, the two organisations funded over 40 billion VND (1.73 million USD) for short and long-term programmes in Bac Lieu, benefiting nearly 250,000 residents.

At a seminar on opportunities and challenges in renewable energy for communities in the Mekong Delta, Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade To Minh Duong said Bac Lieu takes the lead in the Mekong Delta in renewable energy development, particularly wind and solar power.

Within the framework of the seminar, delegates paid a field trip to Dong Hai district to learn about several effective farming models.

On the occasion, the ActionAid International in Vietnam and AFV presented 100 million VND to the provincial Union of Friendship Organisations to build and repair houses for the disabled.

NA Chairman receives leader of Samsung Electronics

Vietnam has always paid attention to protecting legitimate interests of foreign investors, including Samsung, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue told Park Hark Kyu, President and Chief Financial Officer of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., of the Republic of Korea (RoK).

During his reception for Park in Hanoi on February 28, the top legislator highly valued the business results of Samsung's subordinate companies in Vietnam, and congratulated its successes in the Southeast Asian nation.

He affirmed that the government and relevant agencies of Vietnam have paid special heed to removing difficulties and obstacles, and considering proposals of Samsung through periods.

The NA Chairman spoke highly of Samsung’s investment and development of supporting industrial partners in its ecosystem in Vietnam; and the establishment of a R&D centre in Hanoi. He suggested the firm continue to invest and develop semiconductor technology in the country.

Hue expressed his hope that Samsung will continue to pour long-term investment in the country, affirming that the Government of Vietnam always focuses on improving the business and investment environment and enhancing competitiveness, and creates the most favourable conditions for investors to do business in Vietnam.

Regarding the global minimum tax rate of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Hue affirmed that relevant agencies of Vietnam have been proactively studying the issue, thus bringing it into the country's law, especially accelerating the revision of the Law on Corporate Income Tax. 

He emphasised a number of principles when completing the legal framework and reviewing additional incentives for investors, saying that Vietnam must comply with OECD's global minimum tax commitment to ensure the publicity, transparency and fairness.

For his part, Park said Samsung has overcome all difficulties since 2008, proving that with the active cooperation of Vietnam, Samsung’s investment in the Southeast Asian nation was a sound decision.

The RoK firm’s export turnover reached about 65 billion USD in 2022, and its accumulative investment in Vietnam has amounted to 20 billion USD, he said.

Samsung has inaugurated its Research and Development Centre (R&D) worth 220 million USD in Vietnam, Park said, adding that the firm will make every effort to develop it into a global development centre.

The Vietnamese NA and Government have built a good investment environment, and Samsung can continue to achieve successes through its long-term investment  in Vietnam, Park said.

Samsung will do its best to contribute as the largest and long-term investor in Vietnam, he stressed.

Ambassador: Deputy PM’s visit to Spain holds important significance

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang’s visit to Spain from March 1-3 holds important significance, contributing to realising Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance for peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralisation and diversification of external ties, according to Ambassador to Spain Hoang Xuan Hai.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Hai said it is the highest-level visit to Spain by a Vietnamese Government leader since 2017 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the visit, both sides will review bilateral relationship over the past years and reach consensus on specific measures to tackle obstacles as well as discuss new cooperation mechanisms in priority areas such as basic infrastructure, green energy, climate change response and water resource management, toward carrying forward bilateral strategic partnership in the near future, he said.

According to him, friendly cooperation between Vietnam and Spain has kept improving over the past 46 years. Spain was the first European Union country to establish strategic partnership with Vietnam in December 2009. Vietnam has become the biggest ASEAN trade partner of Spain with over 3 billion USD on average each year. Last year alone, Vietnam’s exports to Spain surpassed 4 billion EUR (4.2 billion USD) while importing more than 525 million EUR from the European country. However, Spain’s investment in Vietnam remains modest, with 88 projects worth over 143 million USD.

The ambassador expressed his hope that with the validity of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the approval of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement in late January 2022, the two countries’ firms will tap benefits brought about by the two deals to turn economic ties into a solid pillar in their relationship.

In his view, the two governments, ministries and agencies should consider amending or signing new agreements to create a legal framework for bilateral ties, particularly in the fields of their strength such as infrastructure, renewable energy, digital transformation, green technology, climate change response, hi-tech agriculture, health care, education-training, culture, sports and tourism.

In the immediate future, both sides should soon resume and launch several important cooperation mechanisms such as deputy ministerial-level political consultations and the first meeting of the Bilateral Cooperation Committee for Trade and Investment, thus reaching consensus on measures and roadmaps to lift bilateral ties, he said.

Young footballers ready for first match at 2023 Asian cup finals

Vietnam’s U20 football team on February 28 spent one hour getting used to Istiglol stadium in Uzbekistan’s Fegana City where they will play their first match on the 2023 AFC U20 Asian Cup finals on March 1 afternoon.

At the end of the training session, coach Hoang Anh Tuan expressed his satisfaction at the performance of the team, as well as the lads' expertise and attitude. All the team members are healthy with  no injuries and ready for the first match against Australia with the highest spirit.

Vietnam are in Group B together with Iran, Australia, and Qatar in the tournament's finals.

Sixteen squads will compete in the tournament, namely Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Japan, Jordan, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Oman, Tajikistan, Iran, Australia, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, China, Iraq, and Syria.

Vietnam are one of the five second-placed teams with the best results in the qualifying round.

Among Vietnam's rivals in Group B, Qatar won the tournament in 2014, Iran triumphed for four times (in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976), while Australia were the runners-up in 2010.

Party official holds online talks with Cuban counterpart

Head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations Le Hoai Trung held an online talk with his Cuban counterpart Emilio Lozada Garcia on February 28.

The two officials took the occasion to brief each other on the situations of their respective parties and countries, and compare note on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

They reviewed the cooperation between the two commissions in the recent past and discussed the orientations and main focuses in the ties between the two parties and their commissions in 2023.

The two sides agreed to continue working closely together in organizing visits by high-level delegations between the two parties and countries, and perform well their advisory roles in the implementation of high-level agreements between the two parties and countries, contributing to strengthening the foundation of the political relationship between the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC), and boosting the development of the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.

They pledged to coordinate closely to effectively realise the outcomes of the talks between General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and First Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Miguel Díaz-Canel.

The two sides also agreed to increase the exchange of information on regional and international situation, support each other in expanding their parties’ relations in Latin America and Asia, and coordinate in multilateral forums of political parties and international conferences.

The Cuban Party official stressed that the relations between the CPV and the CPC, and between Cuba and Vietnam are the symbol of the era, and expressed his firm belief that Vietnam will gain even greater achievements in the future.

Trung affirmed his belief that Cuba will surmount the current difficulties and emphasized that Vietnam always support the just revolutionary cause of the party, State and people of Cuba.

Acting President works with Vietnam Academy of Border Defence Force

Acting President Vo Thi Anh Xuan visited and congratulated the Vietnam Academy of Border Defence Force (VABDF) in Hanoi on February 28, on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the Traditional Day of Border Guard Force and the 34th anniversary of All-People Border Defence Day (March 3).

Speaking at the working session, Xuan hailed the VABDF for its achievements over the past six decades, especially its important contributions to education-training, national construction and defence, and international missions.

The VABDF has improved its quality and efficiency of admission, training, sci-tech and international cooperation with Laos, Cambodia and Russia while successfully conducting research on hundreds of valuable theoretical and practical topics, she said.

The leader asked the VABDF to strengthen itself in terms of politics and ideology, renew teaching and study methods, protect national borders amid the fourth industrial revolution, pay attention to providing training for officers in remote and mountainous areas and children of ethnic minorities in border and island areas, as well as expand international cooperation.

It was also urged to develop a contingent of officers and teachers who could meet all requirements in the new situation.

The Acting President hoped that the VBADF should be at the forefront of research and forecasting, including scientific research to offer counselling to the Party, State and Army on the national protection strategy in the new situation.

The old soul of a young 18-year-old artist

The vibrant and compelling artwork of 18-year-old painter Trần Nam Long will soon be on display at the Old Streets Exhibition, a showcase of nearly 80 of the young artist's pieces.

The event is set to take place from March 2 to March 6 at the Exhibition Hall in 29 Hàng Bài Street in Hà Nội.

Long, who was born with several physical disabilities, including ADHD and deafness caused by severe pneumonia, also suffers from congenital muscle paralysis in both legs, which presents challenges in his daily life.

However, he has channelled his struggles into a deep passion for art and an innate talent for painting, fostered and nurtured by his mother, who has supported him since the loss of his father at a young age.

He has super-perspective thinking skills and the ability to focus on his talents. Phùng Thị Hiếu, his mother, takes her son to sketch architectural buildings from universities, the Opera House and French-era mansions to dilapidated old buildings.

The young artist loves spending all day meticulously describing every detail of architecture, trees, and objects. Whether with a wide or narrow perspective, Long glues them together with very realistic details.

Perhaps that's why Long's paintings are particularly attractive, because viewers can see the whole picture, with every detail Long recorded in the painting.

Long's sketches can be a whole row of townhouses or a lovely corner of stairs. The common theme is all are vivid, extremely detailed and very "Hà Nội".

A wealth of details of everyday life are visible in Long's paintings: billboards crammed along the streets, a man wearing a mask in a hot rice flour rolls shop, green rice rags and dong leaves in the burden of a woman selling “cốm vòng”, or green rice flakes.

Long captures moments in everyday life; viewers can feel summer sunshine or the musty smell of a lime wall.

Despite being very young, Long's gaze is less romantic than most, instead picking up details of everyday life on every day life that might usually be missed by someone of his age. His maturity is clear.

To prepare for this exhibition, Long put heart, time and energy into drawing.

The 80 paintings in the exhibition are 80 small pieces of Hà Nội that Long has devoted himself to creating over the past two years. He has painted beautiful pictures and conveyed an endless source of inspiration about his will to live and his passion for creation

Ao dai festival to honour Vietnam’s traditional culture

The ninth Ao dai (traditional long dress) Festival will take place in Ho Chi Minh City throughout March and include a wide range of cultural activities.

This year’s festival has received an enthusiastic response from both domestic and foreign visitors and aims to promote the unique features of the traditional long dress and spread a love of the outfit.

Nguyen Hue pedestrian mall will host various programmes within the framework of the festival, including an opening ceremony on March 3, an arts programme on the Ao Dai on March 4, and an exhibition to honour the Ao Dai.

Highlights will include a seminar entitled “The Beauty of the Vietnamese Ao Dai - Conservation and Development” and several Ao Dai contests.

Twenty-four designers will bring unique Ao dai collections to the festival that tells the story of Saigon River tourism.

Many renowned artists is expected to join the festival include Kyo York, Soobin, H’Hen Nie, among others.

Vietnam develops ties with UNESCO for national development

The Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO held a conference in Hanoi on February 28 to review its 2022 activities and set tasks for 2023.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the commission Ha Kim Ngoc looked back at achievements in cooperation with UNESCO last year, including the country's election to the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 tenure with the highest number of votes.

Vietnam is now a member of three important UNESCO mechanisms, namely the Executive Board in the 2021-2025 tenure, the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in the 2021-2025 tenure, and the Inter-Governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the 2022-2026 tenure. Vietnam's role and position in the multilateral forum have been increasingly improved.

Ngoc noted that the UNESCO Director-General made an official visit to the country in September 2022, during which she expressed her impression on Vietnam's socio-economic achievements.

The commission set out several key tasks for this year, including studying UNESCO's ideas to fine-tune policies and legal documents in the fields of education, culture, science, information and communications; promoting public-private partnerships and pooling social resources for UNESCO's activities, and further upholding its role as an active and proactive member in important mechanisms to which Vietnam is a member.

UNESCO Representative in Vietnam Christian Manhart said this year, UNESCO will continue assisting the network of creative cities, sustainable tourism, local handicrafts, heritage brands, and policy dialogue on the cultural industry (movie) in Vietnam. In addition, the UNESCO Office in Vietnam will jointly hold a conference on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

According to him, the Office will also step up initiatives for young and creative people, international forums and networks connecting Hanoi with Asia and Europe.

Project provides learning support, better meals to more than 30,000 needy children

More than 30,000 disadvantaged children have benefited from a project to support needy children in studying and meals that has been implemented since 2019 in 55 cities and provinces nationwide, heard a conference held in Hanoi on February 27.

According to the National Fund for Vietnamese Children under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the project aims to help with the development of disadvantaged children, contributing to completing the goals of the National Action Programme for Vietnamese Children in the 2012-2020 period.

The project, funded by Acecook Vietnam JSC and implemented by the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, has provided target children with scholarships, learning equipment and high quality instant noodle in 56 cities and provinces at a total cost of over 8 billion VND (335,992 USD).

Nguyen Thi Hien, Vice Director of the National Fund for Vietnamese Children, the project has covered children from four to under 16 years old from poor households, ethnic minority groups, mountainous areas and schools in far-flung regions and social centres for children. 

In 2023, it will spend about 3 billion VND to increase the quality of meals for more than 9,000 needy children in boarding schools, and provide learning support to 270 children in 21 localities. It aims to cover all 63 localities nationwide by the end of 2023.

Hien said that from this year, an annual meeting will be held for children benefiting from the project to give them a chance to join various activities and learn new things. This year, the event is scheduled for June with the participation of 48 children, she added.

Efforts urged to find best technology for Vietnam

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung has called on the Vietnam-Germany Innovation Network (VGI) to further support the National Innovation Centre of Vietnam in developing strategies as well as finding the best and most suitable technologies for Vietnam.

At a working session with the VGI as part of his visit to Germany from February 23-25, Dung proposed the network to coordinate with NIC in promoting cooperation with partners in the European country such as Adlershof Hi-Tech Park, one of Europe's science and technology centres, and Infineon Technologies AG, one of the 10 largest semiconductor manufacturers in the world.

Touring Adlershof High-Tech Park and Infineon Technologies AG, the Vietnamese minister asked Adlershof to collaborate with NIC in bringing startups in Vietnam to Germany for incubation or take German businesses/startups to Vietnam to learn about the market and investment opportunities in the Southeast Asian country.

Besides requesting Infineon to explore the possibility of cooperation with NIC, Dung said he hopes the group will share practical experience in developing and operating production plants and semiconductor chip assembly facilities in other countries.

He suggested Infineon study the possibility of setting up an R&D centre as well as pouring capital into a chip-semiconductor project in Vietnam, with priority given to NIC Hoa Lac.

Within the framework of his trip to Germany, the Vietnamese minister had a working session with the Germany-Vietnam Association (GVA) and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Germany, during which he called on the GVA to work closely with the Vietnam-Germany Friendship Association to strengthen the good relationship and connect with potential partners in economic, science and technology cooperation, as well as promote investment in Vietnam.

Toronto webinar highlights Vietnam’s poverty reduction experience

Vietnam’s experience in poverty reduction and the country’s programmes and policies to eliminate poverty and improve people’s living conditions and life quality were discussed at a webinar held recently in Toronto, Canada.

The event, drawing nearly 50 experts and scholars, was the second of a series of activities planned by the Canada-Vietnam Friendship Society (CVFS) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries (1973-2023).

In the 2021-2025 period, Vietnam aims to reduce the ratio of poor households in line with multidimensional standards by 1-1.5% each year on average, 3% in the ethnic minority-inhabited areas and 4-4.5% in poor districts.

Vietnam has finished the UN Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in poverty reduction ahead of schedule.

Philip Fernandez, a representative of the CVFS, lauded Vietnam’s success in the work, holding that the country's achievements in the field reflected its proper policies and the Vietnamese Government’s vision of placing the people at the centre.

He cited UNDP Resident Representative in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi’s comments as saying that Vietnam has received high evaluation from the international community and UNDP for its success in poverty reduction and human resource development.

Vietnam’s experience provides helpful lessons for developing countries, he said, adding that the Southeast Asian nation has also succeeded in COVID-19 prevention and control thanks to its vaccination campaign, which created chances for strong economic recovery in 2022, including the considerable consumption recovery of poor and near-poor families.

The CVFS is acting as a bridge for the friendship and cooperation between the people of the two countries, said Fernandez, underlining that the association has designed a plan with many activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the Canada-Vietnam diplomatic ties, with two highlight events in May and September.

In May, the CVFS will organise a seminar on President Ho Chi Minh in foreign policy on the occasion of the late Vietnamese leader’s 133rd birthday. Another seminar will be held in September to discuss Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s book on socialism in Vietnam.

Chợ Rẫy Hospital sees a rise in acute poisoning

The incidence of acute poisoning has been on the rise over the past ten years, with many new types of poisoning agent reported, according to a survey conducted by Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City.

The survey conducted at the hospital between 2010 and 2019 showed that toxicity from addictive drugs accounted for 12 per cent of fatal poisoning cases, followed by deaths from chemicals for plant protection at 10 per cent and alcohol poisonings at 8 per cent.

Poisoning by an unknown agent represented nearly eight per cent of the fatal cases over the period.

Food poisonings, chemical poisonings and poisonings caused by snake bites accounted for most poisoning cases that required hospitalisation.

The hospital offered treatment to a total of 14,294 patients with acute poisoning between 2010 and 2019. Of that figure, severe poison cases requiring intensive care accounted for half.

It currently receives around 1,500-2,000 patients a year compared to 800-1,000 patients a year over the past ten years.

The number of hospitalised patients for treatment of acute poisoning has been steadily increasing with many new types of poisoning agent reported, said Dr. Lê Quốc Hùng, head of the hospital’s Tropical Disease Department.

The mortality rate due to poisoning by an unknown agent remained high partly due to limitations in testing and diagnosis, said Hùng, who is also head of the hospital’s intensive care and poison control unit, at an international conference on toxicology held on Saturday (February 25) in HCM City.

A shortage of many antidotes that are scarce and a lack of physicians in toxicology are among obstacles to diagnosis and treatment of poisoning, he said.

An absence of poison control departments or units at most of medical facilities and lack of toxicology testing equipment have left many poison cases undetected.

International cooperation in training and scientific research in poison control remains modest, he added.

The international conference on toxicology was aimed at strengthening national coordination in poison control and bolstering international cooperation in scientific research with poison centres in the world. 

Vietnamese doctor wins prestigious award in Asia-Pacific region's ophthalmology field

Local doctor Dr. Nguyen Viet Giap was recently honoured with the prestigious Prevention of Blindness Award at the 38th Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress held in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

At the congress, Dr. Giap, director of Ba Ria Vung Tau Eye Hospital, and 17 other individuals from countries and territories throughout the region were granted with the prestigious award by Professor Ava Hossain, president of the APAO.

This represents the most commendable award in the field of ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region for those who have obtained outstanding achievements in the prevention and control of blindness.

With over 30 years of experience in the field of ophthalmology, Dr. Giap is a dedicated and highly skilled doctor who has had creative ideas and has made great contributions to ophthalmological examination and treatment activities.

Dr. Giap has so far had more than 50 scientific research projects and valuable creative ideas, helping more than 114,000 elderly people receive free medical examination and treatment.

HCM City authorities ask health sector to keep eye on influenza A (H5N1)

Ho Chi Minh City leaders requested the health watchdog to monitor and detect cases of severe pneumonia caused by the virus at all medical facilities in the city.

The municipal People's Committee has just sent an urgent document to related departments, agencies; district people's committee, Thu Duc City on strengthening the prevention of influenza A (H5N1).

Under city authorities’ requests, the Department of Health must discover cases of severe pneumonia caused by the virus at all healthcare institutions, especially paying attention to those from epidemic areas. Moreover, healthcare workers must take samples for testing to determine the cause of the disease.

The health sector must increase supervision of people from influenza A epidemic areas and coordinate with animal quarantine departments in monitoring poultry and waterfowl entering Vietnam through the border gate. The health sector ought to work with departments of Agriculture and Rural Development to keep an eye on the disease for early detection of influenza outbreaks in poultry to put them under control according to regulations. Samples were taken for testing to determine the cause of the disease.

In addition, the sector must increase communication about measures to detect and prevent avian influenza such as personal hygiene, prohibition of consumption and trade of dead poultry and poultry products of unknown cause.

Infirmaries must ensure personnel, equipment, medical supplies, and drugs to receive, isolate and promptly treat infected cases with the aim to minimize severe cases and deaths. Healthcare workers in grassroots facilities should be trained in disease surveillance and prevention and they should work with veterinary specialized agencies in monitoring, detecting and isolating cases with suspected influenza symptoms in humans and newly emerging strains of the avian influenza virus.

The HCMC People's Committee requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to closely monitor the epidemiological situation in the area, especially the area bordering neighboring provinces; At the same time, the Department should give city authorities some advice on specific solutions on disease prevention.

Additionally, the Department should coordinate with Thu Duc City People's Committee and districts to guide poultry owners to strengthen the strict application of biosecurity measures in livestock production, ensuring hygiene and disease prevention; regularly clean and disinfect breeding areas to destroy pathogens; supervise the full vaccination against avian influenza vaccine for poultry flocks; continue to maintain the animal disease-free zone for avian influenza in Ho Chi Minh City.

Last but not least, the Department should work closely with the health sector to monitor cases of influenza A virus infection in humans and poultry in order to issue early warnings about the risk of disease outbreaks and coordinate with specialized veterinary agencies of neighboring provinces in the prevention and control of avian influenza in order to strictly control the disease.

The city People's Committee also asked the Department of Transport to direct transport companies and cooperatives not to transport poultry and poultry products of unknown origin. Passenger coaches are not allowed to transport passengers along with poultry and poultry products. The City Steering Committee for Animal Disease Prevention and Control’s hotline has been placed on passenger transport vehicles so that passengers can promptly report violations.

The Ho Chi Minh City Market Surveillance Department was assigned to prevent and control the city's livestock and poultry diseases.

The food watchdog in Ho Chi Minh City directed food safety inspection teams to strengthen inspection of the origin of poultry products at wholesale markets and coordinate with interdisciplinary inspection teams of districts and Thu Duc city to check the origin of frozen products at storage warehouses and food processing business establishments. Inspectors will throw the book at owners of production facilities and processing facilities who have used poultry products of unknown origin and could not produce quarantine certificates.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development today issued the official letter 1030 on preventing the smuggled poultry and poultry products from abroad into Vietnam in the face of the risk of spreading the H5N1 flu epidemic.

The official dispatch signed by Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that Cambodian authorities reported an 11-year-old girl from Prey Veng Province had died from H5N1 lately.

Thus, to prevent the risk of disease infection due to the trade and consumption of poultry and poultry products smuggled into Vietnam from abroad, causing serious impacts on livestock development, food safety and residents’ health, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed chairpersons of people's committees in provinces and cities to synchronously implement solutions in accordance with the Law on Veterinary Medicine and Decision No. 172/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister.

Local administration shall direct police forces and border guards to fight against criminals transporting and trading in smuggled poultry and poultry products across border crossings. Local governments must strictly handle violators and smugglers will be arrested in addition to increased propaganda to make people in border areas understand the dangers of avian influenza and the harmful effects of trading and transporting poultry without quarantine and of unknown origin.

Former Rector of Da Nang Science & Technology University detained

The Investigation Agency under Da Nang City Public Security Department yesterday announced the decision to detain Doan Quang Vinh, former Rector of Da Nang Science & Technology University for violating regulations on state asset management.

Accordingly, the Investigation Police decided to prosecute and detain Doan Quang Vinh for the crime of ‘violating regulations on management and use of state assets, causing loss and waste’.

The misconduct of Vinh and Hoang Quang Huy – the university’s Head of Planning and Finance Department – had created good conditions for Lam Thi Hong Tam – the university’s Treasurer – to carry out embezzlement activities from 2021 to December 2022, causing a property damage of over VND80 billion (US$3.36 million).

Before this, Da Nang City Public Security Department had already prosecuted and detained Lam Thi Hong Tam and Hoang Quang Huy for the crime of ‘property embezzlement’.

Hà Nam tops the table, HCM City remains at bottom

Phong Phú Hà Nam beat Hà Nội 1-0 to top the National U16 Girls' Football Championship on February 27 in Hà Nội.

Hà Nam with young and strong players dominated the match from the first whistle. They just needed 13 minutes to open the scoring.

Nguyễn Thị Hồng Huế left two Hà Nội defenders behind before making a long-distance shot straight to the net.

Hà Nam continued to make Hanoian players work hard to protect their net throughout the match but strikers Thanh Hiếu and Ky Chun wasted their opportunities.

In the second half, Hà Nội went on the attack with a view to level the result but they failed to beat Hà Nam's strict and focused line-up.

After four rounds, Hà Nam is leading with 10 points. Hà Nội is second with seven.

In the other match, Thái Nguyên T&T won 2-0 over HCM City with one goal in each half.

Trần Thị Hương found the back of the net just three minutes into the game. Her teammate Nguyễn Thu Trang scored 15 minutes after the interval. 

The win helped Thái Nguyên to have four points and place third while HCM City was at the bottom with one point.

In the next round on March 2, Thái Nguyên will play Hà Nội while defending champion Hà Nam will see HCM City. 

Rare Disease Day celebrated in HCM City

An event themed ‘Sắc Hoa’ (Beautiful Flowers) on Tuesday (February 28) took place at Children's Hospital No. 1 in HCM City to celebrate Rare Disease Day 2023.

The second annual event, organised by the hospital and the Vietnamese Organisation for Rare Diseases in collaboration with French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Vietnam, welcomed the attendance of many rare disease child patients and their families.

Rare Disease Day is celebrated every year on February 28 (or 29 in leap years) to shine a light on people living with a rare disease (PLRD), including rare disease patients, their families and caretakers.

Speaking at the event, deputy director of Children's Hospital No. 1 Ngô Ngọc Quang Minh said there are more than 7,000 known rare diseases in the world with new ones being discovered every year, affecting the lives of about 300 million people.

A disease is rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2,000 people within the general population.

According to the World Health Organization, there are approximately 100 rare diseases reported in Việt Nam.

It is estimated that almost one in 15 persons, or approximately six million people in the country, suffer from a rare disease.

In addition, PLRD face a lot of challenges and one of them is not understanding what they will be facing after diagnosis.

Emin Turan, general director of Sanofi Vietnam, said the company has been a pioneer in supporting the diagnosis and treatment of rare disease patients nationwide since 1997.

Nine gaucher patients, 62 pompe patients, 13 MPSII and five MPSI patients in Việt Nam were provided free medicine for treatment thanks to the company’s rare disease international compassionate assistance programme (ICAP) over the past 25 years.

It donated VNĐ200 billion (US$8.4 million) to its ICAP programme last year alone.

It also helps update the knowledge and professional skills of Vietnamese doctors and medical staff towards early detection and treatment of rare diseases, and improve rare disease patients’ access to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) treatment. 

Vietnam eyes to clean up 350,000 hectares of UXO

Vietnam hopes to remove unexploded ordnance on 350,000 hectares in 2023-2028, said Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien.

In the past 10 years, Vietnam has demined at some 500,000 hectares, the Vietnamese military official told the US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper at a meeting on February 27.

Vietnam expects the US to finance Vietnamese and international partners to help resolve war legacies.

Chien added that he hopes the US and Vietnamese governments will consider removing war remnants not only in the central coastal region but also in other parts of the country, thus boosting the country's socio-economic development.

The Vietnamese defense deputy minister said that he expects the US to keep implementing the Vietnam-US Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) signed in 2013 to address the aftermath of bombs and mines.

He urged the US to soon finish the construction of the training center that meets the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and provide further support in this regard.

Hoang Xuan Chien stressed that Vietnam would continue facilitating American partners to carry out mine clearance.

The US Ambassador to Vietnam, Marc Evans Knapper, said that the US Government had made utmost efforts to support Vietnam in this drive through international organizations since the ratification of the MoU in 2013.

Key support activities include technical consultancy for Vietnam's national strategic plan, development of the national bomb and mine database center, training of Vietnamese technicians in bomb and mine clearance, and construction of the demining training center in Ba Vi District in Hanoi.

He also recognized the results Vietnam had obtained in dealing with war legacies.

The US is one of the first countries to provide demining support to Vietnam since 2013, especially regarding updated management approaches and technologies.

According to the Vietnam National Mine Action Center, some 40,000 Vietnamese people have died and 60,000 are injured in UXO-related cases since 1975. Vietnam now needs to clear 5.6 million hectares of UXO-contaminated land, equal to 17.1% of the country's total area.

Five Tibetan bears in Hanoi rescued

A family in Hanoi has handed over five Tibetan bears to the Bear Rescue Centre of Vietnam.

The bears which were bought from the northern mountainous province of Son La in 2002 have become old and suffered from hair loss and skin diseases.

They were kept in cages which were close to each other in a one-floor house.

The Bear Rescue Centre of Vietnam said that the centre will provide a health examination for the bears.

Over the past two years, Animals Assia and the Hanoi Department of Forest Protection have mobilised for the handover of 14 bears. These five Tibetan bears have been the city’s second bear rescue so far this year.

According to the Hanoi Department of Forest Protection, as many as 116 bears remain captive in the outlying district of Phu Tho.

Source: VNA/SGT/VNS/VOV/Dtinews/SGGP/VGP/Hanoitimes